June 23rd, 2015 | by Keith Banner | published in *, June 2015
The current exhibit of Titus Kaphar’s works at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, titled “The Vesper Project,” surveys history, heredity, race, architecture, and just plain old visual art, intermingling parody, autobiography, destruction, and reinvention into a chiaroscuro carnival of unearthly but somehow palpably earthbound delights. All of Kaphar’s brilliant artistic/literary amalgamations and tricks manage to […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Karen Chambers | published in *
As you ascend the stairs to the just opened Nancy and David Wolf Gallery in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s second-floor ambulatory, you’re confronted with four stained glass windows made by the Tiffany Studio for Avondale’s Grace Protestant Episcopal Church and two tall glass vases, also by Tiffany. These functional and decorative objects make a suitable […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Susan Byrnes | published in *
Doris Salcedo is a Colombian artist of international renown who has made sculpture for the past three decades. Her work, meticulously crafted in her Bogota studio with a team of assistants, memorializes those lost to political violence both in her home country and abroad. She uses simple, utilitarian, human-scale objects and materials in unorthodox configurations […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Zack Hatfield | published in *, June 2015
“Arrange whatever pieces come your way.” — Virginia Woolf You enter the room through a ruche curtain, a membrane partitioning a world from our own. Only two colors exist in the palette of the capacity—varying shades of red and white—and you are immersed in the sweet fragrance of rose petals. These are the first impressions […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Daniel Brown | published in *, June 2015
Many different memories, ideas, conclusions, and issues are beginning to surface as FotoFocus Curator Kevin Moore and the Contemporary Arts Center each look toward Fall of 2015, the 25th anniversary of the original Robert Mapplethorpe photography show, “The Perfect Moment”, and its tumultuous aftermath. Sheriff Simon Leis and the Vice Squad closed down the exhibition, […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Jane Durrell | published in June 2015
In our culture, where Bigger is often equated with Better, there’s a decided relief in turning to a competition where Small is All. Manifest Gallery’s eleventh annual Magnitude Seven, with no boundaries on method or media but strict boundaries on size – seven inches max in any direction – this year as for every previous […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Fran Watson | published in June 2015
VERGE: Printing from the Periphery April 19 – July 24 Opening reception: Final Friday June, 26, 2015 Venue222, 222 14th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Labeling this exhibit “Verge” opened expectations to all possibilities. However, the distinct links to Tiger Lily Press, DIY Printing, Clay Street Press and Visionaries and Voicees would be enough to inspire more […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Saad Ghosn | published in June 2015
On June 11, I went to the opening reception of the retrospective art show of one of my dearest friends, Andy Fausz. Andy passed away unexpectedly Nov 10, 2012, at the young age of 36. I still cannot believe that he is gone forever and am deeply saddened every time I think of him. Walking […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Anise Stevens | published in June 2015
Walt Whitman wrote in the preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, “The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.” This theme manifests throughout the work of Deborah Martin, a contemporary realist landscape painter who conveys the essence inherent within marginalized communities that […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Sue Ann Painter | published in June 2015
Architecture defines the visual identity of a city. It is the principal ingredient in the mix of things that gives us a sense of a place. One way to communicate urban identity is through the challenging practice of architectural photography. A stunning exhibition of this visual art form, focusing on Cincinnati and Munich, Germany, is […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Marlene Steele | published in June 2015
On a summery Cincinnati Saturday afternoon, anyone doing a driveby at the Clifton and MLK corner of the University of Cincinnati campus might do a double take. Is that really a 10ft tall pink flamingo stalking a giant lemonade-sipping duck resplendent on a beach towel with all the amenities one would need at said beach? […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Hannah Leow | published in June 2015
A cross-disciplinary collection at it’s finest, Medicine Illuminated is a visual narrative of social, moral, and spiritual movements as they pertain to the medical field. Rich with content, this exhibition has a wealth of works that trail the history of medicinal care, theories, and misconceptions. At the heart of each work is the notion that […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Jenny Perusek | published in June 2015
While the vast majority of fashion that comes down international runways is created for women, men’s fashion does have a unique presence within the fashion calendar. As we speak, many brands are unveiling their Spring/Summer 2016 collections and they range from traditional to avant-garde. Falling squarely in the middle of that spectrum is Burberry, the […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Raymond Adams | published in June 2015
June 23rd, 2015 | by Marlene Steele | published in June 2015
Any one who enjoys the Cincinnati Park system has monitored over the recent snowy winter with great anticipation the newest addition to the Riverfront: the John G & Phyllis W. Smale Park and the installation of Carol Ann’s Carousel that is it’s focal point. The Taft Museum of Art, itself a gem in the crown […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Susan Byrnes | published in June 2015
If you frequent art exhibits in Cincinnati, you are likely to have crossed paths with Mary Heider. Currently an independent curator, with recent exhibits “A Clean Edge” at Brazee St. Studio’s C-Link Gallery in Oakley and “With and Without: Challenges” at the Carnegie Art Center in Covington, Heider built her career at the University of […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Louis Z. Bickett | published in June 2015
INSURING THE ZONG In 1781 during a trip over, the captain ordered 132 sick Africans (a part of the Zong’s cargo) thrown overboard, knowing well that the insurance company would pay in the event of their drowning. February 21, 2008 WHERE VAN GOGH LIVED Brussels October 1880-April 1881 Etten April-December 1881 The Hague December […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Saad Ghosn | published in June 2015
I. Images For A Better World: Julie LONNEMAN, Visual Artist Julie Lonneman would not describe herself as an activist. Her social concerns are manifested in her everyday life choices, such as using public transportation, shopping at thrift stores and farm markets, composting, and planting wildlife-friendly native plants in her yard. In the early 80’s, however, […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Sue Ann Painter | published in June 2015
We have heard a lot of talk (positive and negative) about local architecture in recent months. And I, for one, am glad that architecture has become a hot topic. With the economic revival, construction has come back with a healthy mix of public and private projects. We are encouraged by the ongoing renovation and reuse […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Maxwell Redder | published in June 2015
Balloons To pose for pictures, we hid our faces in balloons bouncing off one another from the breeze. Their colors were a box of crayons. Holding them, it felt that the correct gust would lift us for the treetops beneath to tickle the balls of our feet! The exploding children swelling in excitement begged […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Daniel Brown | published in June 2015
Odysseus Abroad, by Amit Chaudhuri, is an exceptionally intelligent novel, often funny, sometimes sad, about a young man from India who’s gone to London to study towards a Ph.D. in twentieth century English poetry. He has an uncle living in London, retired, and periodic visits from his mother from India are a routine part of […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Daniel Brown | published in June 2015
A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara, may be the finest novel you’ll read this year. Long, at 720 pages in hardback, it’s the most page-turning, fingernail-gripping book I’ve read since Donna Tartt’s very fine Goldfinch. One of the most fascinating facts about fiction in the past five years or so is the number of very long […]
June 23rd, 2015 | by Daniel Brown | published in Announcements, June 2015
The June issue of aeqai has just been posted, again reflecting the wide variety of visual experiences available in this region, and across the nation. The Contemporary Arts Center downtown continues to offer exciting exhibitions for us, and aeqai critic Keith Banner reviews Titus Kaphar’s remarkable “The Vesper Project”, while Zack Hatfield analyzes former Cincinnati […]
